Lynley Mysteries: Nightmare
by Jumaolster
Summary: Barbara has to deal with a new boss.....
1. Nightmare pt 1

Note: I saw a video interview with EG on her site, and she was talking about Barbara's "new female boss". The plot bunny that popped into my head would just not go away, so here is a little story...

Note 2: My Havers and Lynley are the ones from the TV series... I find them a bit less "caricature" than the ones in the books. I do write canon more or less though, so this is after "Careless in Red".

NIGHTMARE

Havers woke up because the sun was tickling her nose, and sat up. She felt a wave of happiness and contentment roll over her, and swung her legs out of the bed and walked into her tiny kitchen. Some coffee, and then off to work. She smiled.

Lynley was due back in a week's time. He'd finished his walking, and thinking, and had started slowly to heal. He'd decided to come back to work, and Hillier had agreed. He wouldn't be Acting Superintendent anymore, since the Met had decided he was too vulnerable at the moment, and had advised they would appoint someone in his place. Stewart had applied, and Barbara was pretty sure he'd get the job.

Oh well. Not even Stewart as her boss could get her mood down today. Lynley was one of her most precious friends and she'd been so worried about him. She didn't delude herself that it would be easy, though. He'd been a man of a certain temper before Helen's death, and for sure he wouldn't be easier to handle now. Poor sod. Life would never be the same. She still missed her little brother, sometimes so much it hurt her entire chest. Time does not heal all, Barbara thought.

But still. Things might slowly resemble normality.

After finishing her coffee and getting dressed, she rushed over to Azhar's house to pick up Hadi. They had an agreement, she brought Hadi to or from school whenever she could, and he took care of her flowers and flat when she was away on a case.

Hadi was ready and waiting for her, so when she rang the bell, the little girl rushed out the door, jumping down the stairs and hollering:

"Bye, Daddy, see you after school!"

Barbara joined in:

Bye, Azhar, be good, ok?"

They giggled at each other...

Barbara arrived at work early. Hadi went to a school that had adopted the "continental hour", and started at 08.10 am, and Barbara was in the office at 08.30. She went to the ladies loo to comb her hair, which was all tousled up from chasing Hadi from the Tube station to the school, and pulled her polo shirt straight under her V-necked pullover. Winston had given it to her; it was a soft green colour to match her red hair. She discovered a chocolate smear on her black jeans leg, and luckily was able to wash it out with water and soap. Hadi was a very well behaved little girl, but she was still a little girl...

Barbara pulled her hair back and tailed it with a clasp Azhar had given her, and was ready to go.

2 minutes later she was already deeply involved in some very boring report writing, but it had to be done. Barbara had found that it was easier to work on the reports when the office was less crowded, and had started to do some extra early shifts and quite a lot of night shifts here and there. The night shifts helped keep her wallet filled, and since hers was mostly a supervisory position during nights, she got a lot of paperwork done. Plus, she was home in time to get Hadi to school, and could go and see her mother for an hour or two before getting home to sleep.

Another factor was that doing nights had kept her pristinely out of trouble. She'd had no run ins with Hillier whatsoever. He left the office at 6 pm most days, and Barbara had started pulling some 12 hour nightlies, the 7 to 7 being her favourite. Since she often had to work overtime anyway, why not schedule for it? Besides, Lynley had not been around, and she'd wanted to fill her days and nights...

After approximately half an hour, she could feel Winston approaching. Sure enough, he poked her gently in the shoulder:  
"Hey Barb! Did you hear the news?"

When she looked up at him questioningly, he continued:

"They're presenting us with the new Super today!"

"Well, that should be Stewart, right?" Barbara grinned at him. "We can handle Stewart, right Wins?"

"Yeah, but I've heard this rumour that they're getting someone new, from outside, see. I was thinking maybe you'd heard something..."

Because Barbara was discreet and didn't gossip much, she was a person a lot of people talked to. But this time, she had heard nothing.

"Nah, we'll just have to wait and see. Please be a luvvie, and help me make the copies of this report? I'll get coffee for us in the meantime. "

She went into the little staffroom / kitchenette to get the coffee, and suddenly heard Hillier's voice boom over the office:

"This is the main office area, most personnel work in the open office area, and I'll show you to your office. Later I'll be introducing you to all the staff; I've called in everyone for a meeting at 10.00 am..."

Hillier's voice trailed off, and Barbara couldn't hear the new bloke's answer. So it was not to be Stewart then. He'd be bloody disappointed. He was a difficult chap to work with, but suddenly Barbara had a nervous, fluttering feeling in her stomach. What if the new chap was even more difficult?

She went back to her desk, where Winnie was waving excitedly at her:

"Hillier brought the new Super around! It's a lass! Not a bloke, eh! And young too! Who'd a thought that old Hills would pick a woman over Stewart eh?"

He stopped:

"What? Are you not excited? I thought you'd be pleased?"

"I dunno, Winnie. I just suddenly have such a bad feeling. I don't know at all..." She felt dreadful. What was wrong with her?

And then suddenly her worst nightmare came true.

Barbara wanted to sink under the floor and die. How was this possible?

Hillier walked back into the office space with no one other than a splendid looking Emily Barlow in tow.


	2. Nightmare pt 2

Barbara felt herself go red first, and then white. Barlow her new boss? She might as well quit right away. Winnie must have felt that something was wrong, and thankfully placed himself squarely in front of her. He was a true gentleman, he was...

Hillier stopped.

"Ah, well. Yes. This is our new Superintendent, Emily Barlow, and this is Sergeant Nkata. You already know Sergeant Havers, of course. "

Hillier paused. He was intent on getting as far up the ladder as he ever could. He would secretly have preferred Stewart, whom he was sure he could control. Butter in his hands. A puppet...

However the powers that be of the Met had preferred this young woman, new blood and all that. Hillier had gone over the reports from the "Incident" as he quietly called it many times. He was still convinced he'd been right to push for Havers' dismissal, but something kept nagging at him now.

He did not want a screw up. He wanted to be the next Commissioner, save one, and even a small hick up with this new Super would not fit his plans. He would wait for a little while, always offering his support and advice, but if she did not fit into his plans, then God help her. God help Havers, for that matter, if she crossed him or Barlow. Hillier could feel the usual thrill of the hunt pumping through his veins, he rarely felt that now that he rode a desk. This would be interesting.

Both Winnie and Barbara had gotten up.

Winnie extended his hand for Barlow to shake:

"Good morning, Ma'am, and welcome!"

He gave her his most innocent smile, the one that turned his entire face into a clown smile. It was genuine enough, but Barbara had seen him smile like that at suspects, and they All Fell For It. Good old Winnie. He was on her side. She'd protect him from Emily's more evil tendencies.

Barbara took the plunge and said quietly with as much dignity as she could muster:

"Good morning, Ma'am."

Barlow smiled at them. She hadn't been made Superintendent of the Met at a young age because she was daft. She was a highly intelligent woman, a skilled police officer, which was why it had been so difficult for Barbara to see her faults. All those little racist comments, her clay feet... Barbara dreaded the future.

Emily shook Winnie's hand first:

"Sergeant Nkata, pleased to meet you." Then she turned to Barbara.

The two women looked at each other. Barbara knew Emily could see she was nervous and frightened even, and could have kicked herself for it. Barlow's smile grew broader. This would not be so difficult after all. By the look of Barbara's face, Emily was sure she would have her right where she wanted her in no time. Her huge green eyes had grown shiny , from suppressed tears.

"Sergeant Havers."

Emily extended her hand, and Barbara had no choice but to take it. A firm, secure handshake. Darn it. Barbara felt like throwing up.

"I'd like for you to come and see me in my office, Sergeant, at 11 today, after the general introduction."

Warm timbre, confident voice. Not a request, an order.

Barbara nodded, she could do nothing less:

"Yes, Ma'am." Keep it monosyllabic, Barbara, she told herself. Abide by the rules. Be polite. One week, and then Lynley would be here, seven days. And maybe she would be safe, maybe.


	3. Nightmare pt 3

Barbara kept very quiet all morning long. Hillier made the official introduction at 10, and then he went on to show Emily around. Everyone seemed a bit shell shocked; they had all expected Stewart to get the job.

When she dared, Barbara looked around the room. Stewart looked rather hung over and depressed. He knew he'd had Hillier's support, and just could not understand what had gone wrong. Barbara got up, got two cups of steaming hot tea with milk and sugar, and brought them to Stewart's desk.

He looked up. He rarely showed any emotion, a fact that irked Barbara to no end, but now he nodded at her:

"Thank you, Barbara. I guess this is just as bad for you as it is for me..." He knew most of the details of her insubordination and demotion.

Barbara wrinkled her nose at him.

"Let's survive today, and then we'll see. Lynley is due back in a week's time."

Stewart nodded. He felt thoroughly humiliated. Thank God Hillier had had the decency to call him yesterday evening to warn him; otherwise he'd have looked like a total idiot this morning.

Barbara went into the ladies rooms to calm her nerves before going to see Barlow. She took a couple of deep breaths and splashed some cold water on her face.

"Right!" she said to herself, "Let's go!"

And with that, she straightened her shoulders and walked towards Barlow's new office. It was Webberly's old one, right next to Hillier's. Dee Harriman smiled at her, a sad smile. Since she wrote most of the reports for Hillier, she knew what was going on.

"Superintendent Barlow asked to see me at 11, Dee. Could you please see if she's ready for me?" Keep it polite and professional...

"Of course Sergeant!" Dee answered smarty, got up, and knocked on Barlow's office door. Lynley had always kept the door open, while he was acting Super, Barbara thought. There would be a lot of changes, there would be.

Dee turned back after murmuring into Barlow's office:

"Sergeant, please go ahead." She even patted Barbara's back discreetly.

And with that, Barbara found herself in the lion's den. She tried to keep her face as neutral as possible, something not easy for her, and decided to try and take charge:

"You wished to see me, Ma'am?" At least, it didn't sound too insecure.

"Yes, Barbara, I did."

There was a two second pause during which Emily asserted who was the boss, holding Barbara's gaze, and then she said:

"Please sit down, "and pointed at the chair in front of her desk.

Barbara sat down as ordered, and still managed to look straight at Barlow. She waited patiently. Winnie had given her the advice to speak only when spoken too, and to keep her answers as short as possible. She hoped she would be able to follow his advice. She had learnt a lot of self control since her suspension. She loved her job, she really did. She did not want to loose it. Also, with her mortgage and her mum's care, she could not afford to loose it.

Emily realised she would have to start the conversation. She had hoped Barbara would be so intimidated as to start blabbering, but this was not to be the case.

"I will be frank with you, Sergeant. I was not happy to see you reinstated, not even demoted to Detective Constable. What I saw during our case together was highly unsatisfactory, your working standards low, and you discipline appalling. Not to mention your direct insubordination, and firing at me. I want you to know I'll keep a close eye at your work here. If I see any misbehaviour from your side, I'll act on it, and I do have Hillier's support. I hope we understand each other, Sergeant." Her calm, calculating blue eyes held Barbara's wild green ones.

What Barbara wanted to do was to throw a chair at her and scream: You nearly got Hadi drowned, you Cow!

Instead, Barbara scraped all her control together, put her pride in her pocket and said:

"Yes Ma'am."

Barlow knew that answer cost Barbara a world of nerves and it did make her realise that getting rid of Barbara would not the easy, and that she best be careful:

"Very well, Sergeant. I've asked for a general briefing of all major cases, as you know. Hillier tells me you are working on the indecent assault and burglary in Lee Green."

Barlow made sure Barbara heard her disproval. She did not think Barbara should be head investigator with Winnie as her assistant on any important case. After all, she was just a measly Sergeant, not even an Inspector.

Barbara made another huge effort not to lose her temper:

"Yes Ma'am. We believe there might be a connection to another assault and burglary in April, in the same area. This time, the victim, Mrs Mae Johnson, 65, was able to provide a description of her attacker. Even though it was dark, she is sure she saw a light skinned black male, with some marks on his face, like a scar or freckles. She estimates her attacker to be around 30 years of age. Mrs Johnson will come to the station at noon to work with an artist to provide an artist's impression.

We are currently working with both victims. The first victim is Ms Gwen N'Bele, 72. There might be more, and we're appealing for help in the comunity. However, since the attacker chooses elderly victims, living alone, it's very difficult to get people to talk. Sergeant Nkata will go with me this afternoon to the community centre, and we'll talk to both the local priest and imam as well, since the mosque is nearby, Ma'am. It used to be a largely Jamaican area, but recently there has been a generation shift with many Pakistani and Bangladeshi immigrants moving in."

"Hm. I'm glad to see you're being thorough. I wish to receive updates every morning and afternoon on this case." Emily saw anger flash in Barbara's eyes, much to her satisfaction.

But Barbara held her temper:

"Yes Ma'am." She wondered if she should've mentioned the fact that she knew the young Imam, Arif Khan, from a case some weeks ago. He'd been helpful, and Barbara hoped for his cooperation now. It would be difficult to get the women to talk. She was hoping they might admit being burglared, and then take it from there. She decided to be honest:

"Sergeant Nkata knows the priest from attending church in the area sometimes, and I've met the Imam myself. We hope to be able to reach out to both communities with their help, Ma'am." Better insert a Ma'am here and there.

"All right." Emily was loosing her interest fast after realising the victims had all been Jamaican or possible Muslim. No big News value there.

"Keep me informed, then, Sergeant. Please get back to work."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Barbara stood up, nodded at Emily, and strode out the door, taking care not to slam it behind her.

I'll show you, I will! She thought. Just you wait, Emily Barlow!


	4. Nightmare pt 4

Barbara needed to get some fresh air, to get out of the office, so she grabbed Winnie, and practically ran out the door. In the corner of her eye, she saw Dee Harriman approaching Stewart, poor sod.

Winnie was hot on her heels:

"Tell me what happened, Barb!" And so, as soon as they hit the street, Barbara did. Winnie listened, and nodded. She told him everything from the beginning, about Azhar, and the case, and some details about Shalah, but not all, and what had happened. He knew most of it, of course, but he still listened patiently.

"Barb?" he said quietly when she had finished. "We need to work with this woman, yes? And there is only one way to do it, and that's YOUR way."

Barbara looked at him, huge question in her eyes:

"You remember when I was made Sergeant, and it was for all the wrong reasons? Just so they could have a black bloke to show? And you told me that I'm a great copper, and to do my best. And that I deserved it anyway, and that Hillier doesn't really see any of us as persons, just as vehicles to achieve the next goal in his career. You remember?"

Barbara nodded. She had been on a roll that day.

Winnie continued:

"So what we're going to do is just that. Be good coppers, do our best, get on with the investigation. And then can I please add something my dad said once. When the higher ups are being arsey, just imagine that. Their backsides that is. Because Hillier and Emily both get out of bed in the morning looking like hell, like the rest of us, and trust me, they get their trousers on after they get theirs pants on, like everyone else!"

Barbara giggled. Trust Winnie to say all the right things.

"Right then! What do you want to do now? Little old ladies at the community centre, or church? I'm seeing the Imam at 14, and Mrs Johnson will be at the Met at noon. Let's see what we should do first then……." She grinned at him. She'd already planned to call Lynley later. He'd not been very supportive at first, after the "Incident", but she hoped he would be protecting her now….


	5. Nightmare pt 5

7 DAYS LATER

7 DAYS LATER

Barbara was waiting outside Barlow's office, in what had become the most dreaded moment of the afternoon. They'd made little progress, even though they had done all the things they possibly could. Talked to neighbours, talked to victims, talked to the priest and the imam, and talked some more…. And gathered what little evidence there was with the SOCO'S help. Barbara had talked to Lynley several times, and he'd given valuable advice. Lynley was due back tomorrow, for which Barbara was grateful. This time, she'd decided to bring Winnie along for the briefing with Emily, maybe she'd be less condescending if there were the two of them.

Dee put the phone back into the hook, and nodded at them to go ahead.

Barbara sighed, and entered Emily's office.

"Ah, I see you brought Sergeant Nkata with you today. Very well, let's see what he has to say. Go ahead!" Emily nodded at Winnie, who gave the general briefing, finishing with:

"So, see Ma'am, we're looking for a light skinned black man in his thirties, targeting elderly women living alone, acting during the day. We think he's unemployed, probably on benefits, he's armed with a knife and with a history of indecent assault. He's not in HOLMES though, so he knows how to be careful."

Emily had gotten sure of herself during the sessions with Barbara, and forgetting caution, she snorted disdainfully:

"An unemployed black man armed with a knife? That 'd be all the blacks in London, then."

As soon as the words where out of her mouth, she realised her mistake.

"I'm sorry, Sergeant Nkata. A very stupid comment from my side. It just slipped; I'm getting very frustrated with the lack of progress here." She smiled at him, her warmest, most charming smile.

Winnie, during the split second he had to decide, went on autopilot. He smiled back at her:

"No worries, Ma'am. I'm sorry about the lack of progress, Ma'am."

"Oh, it's not your fault, at all. Now if you'd please leave me with Sergeant Havers?"

Winnie had no choice, other than getting up and leaving.

To his huge relief, he walked straight into Lynley, who just came out of Hillier's office. Lynley had been finalizing the details of his reinstatement this very afternoon.

He grabbed Lynley, and pushed him towards the fire exit. They needed to talk.

"Guv, you're not gonna believe what just happened……"

Lynley frowned and listened to Winnie's story.

"There isn't really much we can do at this point. Barlow apologized., and admitted her mistake. I'm worried about Barbara, though. Why talk to her on her own? You'd already reported."

Lynley shook his head. This was soo not good. He decided to take matters in his own hands, stalked out of the fire escape stairs, went on to Barlow's office, and knocked on the door, three loud bangs, then opened the door without waiting for an answer.


	6. Nightmare pt 6

Lynley felt adrenalin pumping through his veins. Before Helen's death, he would've been much more careful, his career had been too important, and sometimes he'd ignored his own common sense or his friendship with Barbara. But he was now a very different man. His career was still very important, but he'd learned the hard way that sometimes it's too late to tell people that last "I love you" and that friends and family are more important than anything. At the end of the day, that's what's there for you….

The picture in front of him was a wild one. Barbara was standing up; hands leaned on Emily's desk, Emily equally standing up, on the other side of the desk.

Barbara had finally lost her temper. She'd been trying and trying all week, but today, she'd not been able to keep her peace.

Emily, however, caught the ball first:

"Inspector, your Sergeant is not only being insubordinate, she's also proven yet again that she's not up to leading an investigation! I'll speak to Hillier at once, and have her removed as chief investigator from this case!"

Lynley was quick on his feet:

"That won't be necessary, Superintendent. I've just come from Hillier. He's under the impression that Barbara and Winston have done a very good job on this one, with very little to go on they've still prepared all the background information. As for lead investigator, I'm now back on the job. Hillier is aware of the fact that my lads need some more support than what they've received so far."

That was a blatant lie, of course. They had discussed no such thing. But Lynley counted on Emily being cautious enough not to go poking a stick into the wasps' nest without for carefully putting her ear to the ground to see what way the train was headed.

Lynley felt anger seeping through his every pore:  
"I've also just spoken to Winnie….." He needn't say more.

The stricken look on Emily's face told him that she was well aware of her faux pas. She'd thought however, that she'd defused that situation with her little false apology. Emily made a mental note not to underestimate Nkata again. Ah well. Everyone makes mistakes, and for sure, Winston was no exception to the rule. Sooner or later she'd be rid of him.

Meantime, she exercised some serious damage control:

"Well, Inspector. It's been a stressful time for all of us. I'll accept the Sergeants apology for her insubordination just now, and then we can all get back to work, hm?"

Before Barbara could open her mouth to protest, Lynley put his hand on her shoulder to calm her down, and nudged her towards the door.

He plastered his face with the most fake smile he could muster and extending his hand for Emily to shake, he said:

"Superintendent, I'm glad we understand each other. I look forward to working with you, Ma'am." He made sure he squeezed her hand far harder and longer than etiquette would've prescribed.

Yes, they understood each other perfectly…..

A sudden loud knock on the door made them all jump. At Emily's "enter", Winnie put his head through the door:

"Guv?"

Both Emily and Lynley went:

"YES" in unison, and Barbara wanted to smile. It was great to have her Lynley back. But her cheerfulness vanished immediately at Winnie's next words:

"There's been another attack... The victim called the police 5 minutes ago, and it seems to be our man. And what's worse, he seems to have upped the ante..."


	7. Nightmare pt 7

Barlow motioned for Winnie to come in anc close the door, and when they were all seated, he went on:

Barlow motioned for Winnie to come in and close the door, and when they were all seated, he went on:

"The call came in 5 minutes ago. This time, our man has changed the venue, it seems. The latest attack took place in the council flats in Camden, you know Barbara? The one near your place?"

Barbara nodded. A new sense of dread filled her entire chest, and she said:

"Yes. The place has a reputation for broken elevators and lately there have been some reports about broken windows. Go on, what else do you know?"

Winnie referred to his notes, even though he actually knew it all by heart:

"Our new victim is Jane Harvey, 55. She lives alone, as the others. She came back home after getting some money out of the atm machine at Camden Lock Market. The perpetrator was waiting for her, the light bulb lighting her part of the corridor had been smashed. Her flat is the first one in the side of the lift. He pushed her inside, and beat her up. The other victims reported that the burglar seemed to be sexually aroused by his crimes, but said they had not been raped. Ms Harvey reports he tried to tear her clothes off, and also that he tried to push her into the bedroom. This is new. We still believe it is the same man, though. The physical traits are similar, and Ms Harvey has agreed to working with our artist. She's now at the hospital with a WPC. She's very much shocked, and has not been able to give a lot of details yet."

Winnie paused and looked expectantly at Lynley, who prompted:

"Excellent work, Sergeant. Now, Barbara will go and see the victim at the hospital, and stay with her for as long as you deem necessary. Winston and I will go to the flat to see how the SOCOs are doing. The modus operandi is the same; however, it is strange that he's change area. "

Lynley got up, and nodded at Barlow:

"Ma'am, with your permission!" striding towards the door.

Barbara and Winnie hastily scuttled off after him.

When they had reached a safe distance Barbara cleared her throat:

"Herm? Sir?"

Lynley stopped in his tracks. That was her worst kind of "Sir". It sort of started at the back of her throat, and then towards the end, it went up and octave or two. Sort of like Si-i-i-R. He knew from experience he'd done something wrong, and looked at her:

"What did I do then, Barbara?"

"Well, Sir, see, Barlow likes to sort off send us off, see. Like in, it's her who says when you can get out of her office, see. She's VERY particular about everyone knowing she's the bog boss. You just got her mightily worked up. She'll have you for this. And me. And Winnie. Not necessarily in this order, and not necessarily all at once..."

Lynley sighed. Barbara was right; he should have waited for Barlow's permission.

He shrugged.

"I'll have your backs, Sergeant, and I'll even apologise later. All my fault and such. Now let's get to work! Winnie, please drive us first to the hospital to drop off Barbara. By the time we get to the flat, maybe the SOCOs will have released the scene of crime. Barbara, call me as soon as you've been able to talk to Ms Harvey. Let's hope she got a good look at him. He's getting more and more agressive, and audacious. "

With that, they had arrived at Lynley's new car, a black Jaguar. Never one for being subtle, Barbara thought.

Winnie squealed:

"Nice wheels, Guv! Bloody hell!"

Barbara smiled as Winston practically skipped into the driver's seat. Even Lynley's serious features softened a bit at the younger man's enthusiasm.

Actually he'd only bought it because it had been there, ready in the shop. He hadn't wanted to wait for months for a new vehicle, and the customer who had ordered the car had died suddenly. He hadn't really cared much what he bought, and had at the time felt no joy or excitement for it. Now, however, Lynley smiled at Winnie:

"Yes, I believe it is a nice car, isn't it?"

And while they drove out of the Met garage, for the first time he was actually content about his acquisition.

Meanwhile, in her office, Emily Barlow was fuming with fury. Lynley needed a lesson in humility, he did. To take charge like that, and right in front of her. Thank goodness no one had seen it. She'd hit him where it would hurt the most. She only had to figure out what would hurt him the most.

It immediately hit her:

The only time he'd looked even remotely content was when observing Barbara...

Emily's beautiful face lit up with a sunny smile. She picked up the receiver and dialled Dee Harriman's number:

"Ms Harriman? Please put me through to Sir Hillier?" That should get all the tongues wagging. She could have called Hillier directly, but this way, Dee would know something was up...


	8. Nightmare pt 8

Two minutes later a confident Emily Barlow strode purposefully towards Sir David Hillier's office, walked past Dee's desk with a nod, and knocked on the door, not even waiting for the "enter", she then went straight in.

Hillier had decided to be cautious and therefore smiled at her warmly:

"Well, Superintendent, what can I do for you then?" He never called her anything else; he'd decided early on that keeping a certain distance between them would be wise.

Emily sat down. She always dressed with an elegance that left Barbara green with envy, effortless, flawless, without being over the top. Today she was wearing black trousers, and a green cotton blouse. More or less the same Barbara had taken to wearing, but where Barbara looked "sporty" if people where nice to her, Emily was the epitome of female power dressing.

"Well, Sir……" she paused looking at her hands for a shy effect.

"Go on then, Superintendent, I know you're not one to loose your use of words." But he smiled at her to take the edge out of his words.

Emily took a deep breath.

"Sir, I've come to talk to you about Havers, Sir. I was hoping I wouldn't have to, but I cannot see how I can let this pass without mentioning it to you. Please let me tell you however, that she's apologised for her insubordination already, and that I would like to give her _another_ chance. " Emily cleverly put the emphasis on "another" in case there was any doubt about her patience with Barbara.

"Now that Lynley is back on the job, I'd like for him to work with Nkata as his second man, and I'd like for you to assign me Havers, whenever she's not needed on a case of course. She's been trying to keep her temper in check, and was actually successful until this morning, when I had to reprimand her. I made an admittedly unfortunate remark about the high percentage of young black unemployed men in the city. While Nkata took it for what it was, especially after I apologised immediately, in a subsequent private conversation with Barbara she lost it completely, accusing me of racism, Sir. I may not always be super-pc, I admit that, but Barbara was out of line. Lynley came in in the nick of time, Sir, and calmed her down. They're now off to investigate what seems to be the third attack on a middle aged to elderly black woman living alone, of what seems to be a light skinned black male, in all three cases. Lynley has taken charge, and I hope he'll live up to his reputation and get us some of those results we've been lacking completely."

She paused. She'd thrown the bait into the water, now all she had to do was to sit back, and see if the fish would fall for it.

Hillier looked at her pensively. He put his hands together on the desk in front of him, studying his wedding ring. Barbara had figured out ages ago, that this meant trouble, but Emily being much less receptive to other people, did not catch the warning. When Hillier smiled at her again, she took this as a good sign, and smiled back at him, fluttering her eyelids a bit. That usually did it.

Hillier had decided to play her game for now:

"Yes, maybe you're right. Havers will stay with Nkata and Lynley during this investigation, and then we'll talk again, Superintendent. In the meantime, if you'd please brief me on the case every afternoon, thank you."

"Yes, Sir!" Emily inwardly sang with success. She stood up, nodded at Hillier, and went for the door, when he suddenly added:

"Superintendent? Just one more thing…..

I've had some complaints about your less – than – pc remarks. I'd like you to discontinue those immediately, thank you. That would be all." He went back to studying his documents intensively.

Emily had no other choice than to murmur a demure "Yes Sir" and disappear out the door. Ah well. Rome wasn't built in one day. She'd soon have him dance after her pipe. After all, he was a bloke, and that was what blokes usually did.

The conversation, however, had left Hillier more preoccupied than he wanted to admit. He'd tried to ignore the voices of the corridors about her less than open minded manner. Her comments about ethnic minorities could become a very hairy liability. He was well aware of the fact that she'd come to him to cover her own back.

Hillier wished, not for the first time, that Stewart had been made Super. He'd have to work at a strategy. Hillier knew, from intuition and from experience that sooner or later, he'd have to choose.

He decided, for now, to choose Emily over Lynley and Barbara. Wait and see, be patient…….


	9. Nightmare pt 9

Winston dropped Barbara off at the hospital, and then he and Lynley went on to the scene of crime, where they would meet the SOCOs and look for more clues, talk to more neighbours and check out the area.

They agreed that Barbara would call them when she was ready to meet up for a new briefing.

Barbara always dreaded sexual crimes. She somehow found them more appalling than everything else, except cruelty or violence against children. She sighed. The conversation would be difficult. But it had to be done.

She quietly sat down beside Ms Harvey's bed, after having introduced herself and shown her warrant card. Barbara wanted to see if the woman would start talking on her own; otherwise she'd gently try to nudge her in the right direction.

Ms Harvey looked very frail where she lay, her face puffed up with bruises and a drip in her arm. But suddenly she started talking, and her strong, but visibly shaken voice gave Barbara new confidence.

"I've seen him around. The bloke who attacked me. I've seen him around; I just can't remember from where, see. I've been thinking all day long, but my brain just won't collaborate!"

"That's all right, Ma'am. We'll just talk, and have some tea if you want, and then you'll see that sooner or later you'll remember. Don't push your memory. It'll come by itself. Could you please tell me exactly what you did this morning?"

"I went out early to get some money from the atm machine in Camden Lock Market. I do that every Tuesday; I guess I should vary my routines..."

She closed her eyes, looking tired.

"This is not your fault, Ma'am. Trust me, he's probably been following you for a while, but this is not your fault!"

Barbara felt a rush of anger, but tried to control it. Clouding her mind with anger would benefit no one.

"I then did some shopping, not a lot, mind you. The elevator's been broke for a while, and no one's come to fix it.

I have to slug up my shopping up 4 stairs, and I'm telling you, my knees are protesting louder and louder. My granddaughter Kate usually helps me, but this week, she's on a training course. She wants to be an ambulance driver.

I was slow getting up the stairs, and then I saw that the light bulb was smashed. Sometimes people steal the light bulbs to take home, but being smashed is unusual. I feel like I should have picked up bad vibes or something. But I didn't. I was too tired from the stairs.

I opened the door to my apartment. Suddenly this man came out from nowhere, grabbed my shopping bags and pushed me inside so fast I didn't even have time to scream. Even if I had screamed, no one would've come. The lass next door works all the time, and the other apartment is vacant at the moment.

He started yelling at me and beating me up. I told him to just take the money and my purse, but he wouldn't listen. Then he started tearing at me..."

Ms Harvey started crying. Barbara sat down on the edge of the bed and just held her hand, patting her shoulder for comfort. This was a very difficult conversation. Ms Harvey would be traumatized for the rest of her life. Barbara made a mental note to give her the card of a support group.

Barbara had wait for half an hour, with comforting tea and some eventually some sandwiches, until they could go on with the interview:

"I began to realise this bloke wasn't there just for my money. I've never been so frightened in my life. I thought, I'd rather die. He pushed me towards the bedroom and I just banged my head against his chin with all my might. I must've caught him by surprise, because he kind of swayed. I pushed him in the chest with both hands. My Kate has taught me some self defence moves. I never thought I'd need them. He fell to the floor, and that's when I kicked him really hard in the groin. Then I ran out of there, screaming like crazy. Thank God he hadn't looked the door on me.

He came running after me, but just that second Billy came up the stairs. He looks like a huge dangerous fellow, but actually he's a bit daft. He lives with his mum on the fifth floor, and when he saw my face and state he just started screaming too. That scared the bloke off, and he took off down the stairs. "

She paused, looking absolutely exhausted. Barbara said:

"If you wish, we can talk again tomorrow. I'll give me my card; you can call me whenever you want."

Ms Harvey nodded. She just wanted to sleep.

The hospital had contacted her granddaughter, and a nurse put her head through the door:

"Ms Harvey? Your granddaughter is here." Barbara nodded to let her in.

A slim, tall young woman rushed into the room:

"Gran! Gran, how are you!"

The young woman was clearly related to the older one. The same huge dark brown eyes and fine features. Ms Harvey the younger was of mixed race though, with light coffee cream coloured skin.

Her grandmother nodded at her.

"Not so good. This is Sergeant Havers. She's investigating my attack; they think this bloke's done it before. This it Kate Harvey, my granddaughter. I've raised her." She sounded proud suddenly, and a bit stronger. Barbara smiled at them.

Kate Harvey hugged her grandmother. She said:

"You're coming home with me, Gran. I don't want you to stay there alone anymore."

"We'll see, love, we'll see. "

Although thrilled by the offer, Ms Harvey had lately been seeing a neighbour, a widower of Jamaican origin. She'd have to consider everything with a calmer head before making any decisions.

Barbara greeted them once more, and quietly left. Ms Harvey had been a near perfect witness. They would work with her again in the morning, calculating the perpetrator's height from Ms Harvey's and then they'd see if they could jog her memory some more.

She'd arrived at the elevator, when Kate Harvey came running after her:

"Wait! Gran's remembered! I know who the bloke is! His mum lives close to us... She's Jamaican, just like Gran. He used to come with her to church when he was a kid, but that was ages ago. I don't know his name or hers, but I can give you the address...!"

Barbara was thrilled. That was good news. She'd call Winnie and Lynley right away.


	10. Nightmare pt 10

As soon as Barbara was out of the hospital she called Lynley and referred what had happened. His strong baritone came over the line:

"Well done, Barbara! Please meet us there, don't do anything on your own!"

Barbara hailed a black cab and told the driver to step on it, arriving just two minutes before Lynley. He'd called her again from the car, the SOCOs were sure they could secure enough evidence to get a conviction. Barbara felt relieved. Now all they had to do was catch the guy.

They met up in front of the house, and as soon as the back up team was in place, Lynley rang the door bell. A black man opened, and Barbara recognised him immediately from the artist's impression. That was their man. Light skinned, with some deep acne scars on his cheek.

The second he saw them, he tried to slam the door on them, and ran out towards the back door. The house was a traditional Victorian terrace, and he had the sous terrain flat. The all charged after him, with some of the officers getting around the row of houses on the outside.

Lynley grabbed the man just as he tried to climb over the fence to escape, and threw him to the ground. It took three officers to calm him down, before they could handcuff him. In the meantime, he'd been spewing abuse and filth all over them, until Lynley lost his patience:

"Shut up, do you hear me? I want to hear nothing more from you right now! You'll have plenty of opportunity to talk down at the station!"

The reality that he'd gotten caught must've kicked in, and the man was quiet, as he was led away to the waiting panda car.

Lynley went off looking for Barbara, who'd started searching and securing the premises:

"Sir? Sir, please come here?" She sounded shaken, and Lynley rushed off to find her, yelling at Winston:

"Go to the station, Sergeant, and start preparing for the interview! I'll be right there!"

Barbara waved at him from the inner bedroom of the flat, and Lynley suddenly noticed the stench of the place. Before he must have been too pumped up on adrenalin to notice, but now he sensed it so strongly he wanted to throw up.

He then saw what Barbara had discovered:

On the bed, lay a corpse wrapped up in plastic, the kind builders use. It must have been a woman, Lynley decided and said:

"Any ID?"

"Yes Sir. We found his driving license, he's Roger Nelson, and then we found his mother's library card, Mrs Althea Nelson. She's been dead for at least two weeks. Or more. It's difficult to say. We'll wait for Lafferty and see what he says. We've also found photos of his victims, Sir. It seems he stalked them for quiet some time before attacking them. We should have no problem convicting him for the attacks, and if he murdered his mum, he'll be going away for a very long time, won't he?"

Her last words sounded more like a plea than anything else. Lynley hoped so. Sometimes to Justice system seemed to work more in the favour of the criminal than in victim's, but here, Lynley was sure they'd have and airtight case.

They'd leave it to the SOCOs and to the medical examiner for now, and start interviewing the suspect.

As soon as they were in the car, Barbara's phone rang, and she heard Winston on the other end:

"Barb!"

He sounded furious.

"What's up Winnie? We're on our way!"

"She's high jacked our case! Barlow has taken over. She said I wasn't experienced enough to conduct the interview by myself, and that Lynley should know better than to send me alone! And now she's taken over! Bloody hell!"

He was shouting by now.

"But Winnie, did you tell her you're just prepping? And that we're on our way?"

"Course I did. There was no reasoning with her, and Hillier's not around, which means she's the boss, right!"

"Ok, sit tight, we're on our way!"

Lynley had given her some very worried looks during her conversation with Winnie. What was going on??

Barbara said grimly:

"Emily's revenge came quicker than I thought, Sir. She's taken over the case..."

Lynley hit the accelerator. They'd better get to the Met fast.


	11. Nightmare pt 11

Lynley was deeply worried

Lynley was deeply worried. Still keeping his feelings deep down, and generally speaking having been brought up to always honour the famous " stiff upper lip", he would not admit to himself that what he felt was close to despair. What he had now, and it had taken him months and months to realise it, was his job, and Barbara's deep friendship, and, although to a lesser extent, Winnie's respect and admiration.

He did not want to lose this case. And least of all to Emily. What was she playing at??

He quietly decided he would try to save what could be saved. He'd let her have all the glory on the planet, let her shine in a press conference, let her have the bonus at the end of the month, the little ticks on the efficiency list…….

All if he got to keep Barbara and Winston.

Because Lynley had understood, more than Barbara and Winnie that what made Emily tick was power. Power over people. Over means and over money.

And Lynley was frightened.

Because he knew that Barlow felt threatened by his relationship with Barbara and with Winnie as well.

Lynley knew he was popular by now, even if that hadn't been the case in the beginning of his career, and he also knew that Barbara was one of the officers people went to if they had problems, and sometimes just to chat, and to have a hot cuppa, with Barbara listening, not passing much judgement, and patting their back, and sometimes even giving some advice…… She never spoke, but she was a source of knowledge to be reckoned with.

And that Winnie was a role model for a lot of the younger lads, that he came from poor circumstances just like Barbara, and could relate to a lot of lads on the beat. Not to mention the lasses. Heh. Winston was a winner with the ladies, but he never took advantage of anyone. Which had given him a reputation of sorts, of a knight in shining armour that a lot of the lasses could look up too, and hope he'd be the governor some day?

If it was one thing Lynley had learned during his time walking, is that no man stands alone. His team was his success, and maybe he hadn't been appreciative enough before. The boss is nothing without people backing him or her up, and success is nothing if you have no one to share it with.

Somehow Barbara, beside him the care, must've sensed some of what was to come. She said, in a quiet, calm voice:

"Sir? May I tell you something?"

She never asked permission. She usually just told him everything he needed to hear, even the things he didn't think he needed to hear. He nodded.

"I don't want another Gov. These months, I've been sitting pretty, doing as told, I've been working with other people, and I've been good too. But that's not what I want. I want to work with someone I can respect and love. I want you and Winnie as well. If she takes that away, then I don't want to work anymore, for the MET, like. I'd rather be transferred to Fife or something…...

I'm sick and tired or being pushed around like I'm some parcel someone ordered and didn't pick up. I know I'm a good copper. So, maybe I won't ever get pass the rank of Sergeant, who knows, but I know I'm good at what I do. I don't want to be bullied anymore. "

Barbara paused, exhausted. She felt completely drained. Barbara could only hope Lynley would be ready to listen.

And some part of him was ready. Not all of him, but some parts.

"I hear you, Sergeant. Now just follow my lead!"

The unusual use of her rank jolted Barbara into action. The war wasn't lost, just because they'd lost the battle, she reckoned, as they screeched into to MET parking garage.


	12. Nightmare pt 12

As soon as they where safely inside the Met parking, Lynley broke to a halt, exited the car, and threw the key from his pocket to a startled Barbara.

"Keep the key in your pocket and park the car!"

He yelled, and then

"I'll try to fix things, please join us as soon as possible!"

And with those words he ran off to the elevator.

Barbara stood there for a couple of seconds, dumb folded.

She'd never seen a car before where you didn't need to insert the key into the lock to get it started. Instead, it was enough to keep the key in you pocket, and then you hit the start button.

The car started humming pleasantly. Barbara wanted to faint. She looked around her, and noticed the monitor of what at first look seemed the gps. However, the video look of the display caught her eye, and she realised that she was looking at a computer screen of her surroundings, and also of what was at the back of the car.

Carefully she managed to drive into one of the parking spaces, but with all the new technology and the panic she'd felt it had taken her at least 15 minutes from the moment Lynley had left.

By the time she arrived at the office, it had taken her 20 minutes, and a war seemed to be in full swing.

Winston, standing near the entrance, waiting for her hissed;

"The Guv had made holy hell break loose!"

Barbara wanted to smile, but one look at everyone's faces told her that this was not the case……

She'd run to the interrogation rooms.

The suspect was sitting inside, with a look between confusion and relief on his face.

"Relief?" Barbara thought briefly, "What relief??"

Before turning her attention to Thomas and Emily, who where apparently engaging in a pissing match of sorts.

Both where starting each other down, Emily shouting:

"You're apparently not fit yet to lead an investigation, Inspector! Leaving a very junior officer, of dubious qualifications, to do the first interrogations! You must be insane! I'll have your case brought up again with the board, I will!"

Lynley must have realised she was more upset that she let on, because suddenly he went all calm and superior:

"Well, Superintendent, please do. I know my team have done an excellent job, and sending Winston to do the prepping is standard procedure. If you spent less time sending memos, and more time talking to the officers on the beat, you would know that, wouldn't you?? And besides, you were well aware of the fact that Barbara and I where right behind him. I may not have followed the case form the beginning, but Barbara has, and she's done a good job too! I'll take this up with Hillier, Superintendent. I believe you're trying to usurp a case that is not yours, Ma'am!

Emily had gone white, but stood her ground. She knew that she had to win this one, or disappear…..

"Well, Inspector, we'll see. The Ass.t Commissioner and I enjoy a special relationship, you see." She smiled at him, and her ice cold smile sent shivers down many a spine.

"Well, we shall see. Inspector. In the meantime, I'd like to interrogate the suspect, thank you!"

Lynley made a show off walking calmly and comfortably towards the interrogation room; however Barlow stopped him in his tracks:

"That won't the necessary, Inspector. I've already come to an agreement. Please would you have nothing further to do with the suspect until you speak to the Ass.t Commissioner, and that in an order!"

With that, she just turned, and walked into her office, head held high.

As soon as the door closed, Lynley whispered:

"Barbara, Winnie, my office, NOW!!"


	13. Nightmare pt 13

They all rushed into Lynley's makeshift office

They all rushed into Lynley's makeshift office. He'd been assigned one temporarily while the one that was to be his real office was painted and refurbished. Lynley kind of liked this office though, even if it was smaller than the other one. It was a bit off the main office "road", a bit more private and it was one of the few offices that came with both a private loo and a minuscule shower. Might come in handy, he'd thought, and he wanted to ask Hillier for this office to be painted instead...

Now, however, they had some very pressing issues to discuss. As soon as Winnie banged the door shut behind them, Lynley said:

"Barlow must've planned something like this all along. Hence the daily briefings. She must have figured that she could humiliate Barbara while getting all the information she wanted, to then usurp the case from you. I bet she didn't count on me being in on the case, but I think it must have been too late to stop the ball rolling. You two hold with I try to get in touch with Hillier!"

And with those words, he dialled Hillier's private emergency number, which he'd been given while he was Acting Superintendent.

Hillier picked up at the third ring:

"What is it, then? My mobile's been ringing like crazy! Is the Met burning?"

"No, Sir, but Superintendent Barlow has aggressively taken over our case! We've arrested the perpetrator, Sir, and Winston brought him back here to prepare for the interrogation. Barlow saw this as an opportunity to swoop in and take over, she claims Winston is not experienced enough to prep for an interrogation like this. She claims she's got your blessing for her actions, Sir, so before I go and kick her door in, I wanted to call you to see what's going on!"

Lynley sounded furious, and by the end of his speech he'd raised his voice so that his strong baritone seemed to be rebound from the walls.

"Calm down, Lynley. Please let me call Emily and discuss things with her, and do nothing before I call you again, do you hear me?"

Lynley was pleased to hear some very clear and dangerous anger in Hillier's voice. The man was no fool, and being used as a war tool without his knowledge had not pleased him at all.

"Yes, Sir!"

Lynley hung up, just in time to hear a knock on the door.

"Come!" he yelled, and to his surprise Stewart came shuffling in. They had never really gotten along all that well, but Lynley knew all to well that your enemy's enemy can be your friend, under carefully controlled circumstances, of course.

"Sir?" Stewart looked unsure about what to do, but then plunged in:

"Barlow might have the upper hand, here, Sir. Hillier has given strict orders to control knife crime as a top priority, and the bloke you brought in? She's made a deal with those arseheads over at the Crown Prosecution Service. He gets charged with burglary, indecent exposure and assault, and he's given her some contacts and names for different gang members that where planning on meeting and having a proper street battle. Some traumatized little old Jamaican ladies are not really her priority. She's dropping Mrs Nelson like a ton of bricks, never mind the man most probably killed his own mum. The street battle would have been carnage. The lads from Operation Blunt are rejoicing and praising her all over the place, and some of the glory is going to rub off on Hillier, surely."

Stewart paused. He'd had a wild hope during the Lynley-Barlow show down just now that Barlow would loose, but somehow, after making some phone calls and calling in some information favours, he saw his dream slip away for the second time.

Just then, Lynley's phone rang again.

"Yes, Sir?"

He answered, seeing that Hillier was on the phone. Then there was a silence and then Lynley just said:

"Yes, Sir." And hung up.

Barbara had been awfully quiet ever since she'd come up from the parking, and Lynley could see she was close to tears.

"Sir?" she said, "they will split us up. Barlow will win this battle, and she'll blame things on me. I've heard a bloody awful rumour saying she wants me to work with her. I just can't do that, Sir. She'll bully me to death. Let her have the bloody case and the glory if she wants it, and we'll find some other things to charge Mr. Nelson with. He's a very dangerous man, even the CPS must realise that, and he should be put away for a long time."

She looked at him pleadingly. Lynley nodded at her:

"Hillier said to wait for him here. He's coming back to the office."

Shocked silence followed. Hillier's evenings with the family where sacred, everyone knew that, and for him to come back in happened more or less once a year for really catastrophic events.

Winne, always the optimist, said:

"Maybe there's hope yet..."


	14. Nightmare pt 14

Emily meanwhile, was fuming in her office

Emily meanwhile, was fuming in her office. Her carefully planned ousting of Barbara Havers was about to backfire in a bad way. Maybe she should have been more patient, but by the time Lynley blasted onto the stage again, she'd already called in a favour with her friend at the CPS, and had already promised an Inspector with the Knife Crime Force to help him out, in exchange for some other information she had needed.

She had not been able to take a step back and regroup.

Now, she needed to get some serious damage control going.

She'd tried to contact Hillier, but when she finally managed to do so, she had a strong feeling that he'd already spoken to Lynley, because he was icy cold with her:

"Sir, I need to talk to you urgently about Havers and Lynley mishandling their case in such a manner that I needed to step in at once and take over. They entrusted Sergeant Nkata with duties he's not ready for. Lynley was bordering on insubordination, Sir. I understand he might have been upset, and I'll overlook his lapsus of judgement if he apologises officially. In the meantime, I've secured prosecution of Mr. Nelson, the indecent assault and burglar suspect, and also made a deal to secure some further arrests, preventing knife crime. I believe this is your priority, Sir?"

_She's clever, Hillier thought, but not as clever as she thinks she is..._

Long years of climbing the career ladder in the MET had taught Hillier to keep his temper, and with a controlled, pleasant voice he'd answered:

"Yes, Superintendent, that is indeed one of our priorities. As the matter of fact, I'm on my way to the office right now, if you'd like to wait for me, then we can discuss things further in person."

_That should get her sufficiently worked up, he thought._

"Yes, Sir!"

She hadn't even finished her answer before Hillier hung up on her.

Emily sat down to prepare her defence...


	15. Nightmare pt 15

Some twenty minutes later, Hillier arrived back in the office. The tension in the wide office space that the junior officers and other staff all shared was palpable. Emily had many supporters, but she had equally many detractors, her "divide et impera" style had worked only partially.

They all knew that this was the moment in which Hillier would have to choose sides...

And of course Hillier had known that this moment would come sooner or later.

He was well prepared. He'd spoken to the other Assistant Commissioners, and even to the Commissioner himself. He'd been very careful, testing the waters... He'd then made it known that while he considered Emily Barlow to be a competent officer; he was not convinced that she was mature enough at present to hold the position of Superintendent, having so many people underneath her of different colours and religions.

Hillier, to his great disappointment, had not achieved what he had wanted, which was her removal and the instalment of Stewart in her place.

But he had achieved something, somthing he considered nearly just as perfect...

He nodded at the officers, and they all pretended to get back to work, and then he told Dee Harriman to call Barlow, Lynley, Havers and Nkata for a meeting in his office.

They all arrived at once, in varying states of upset. Barbara looked close to fainting. She was a difficult person to deal with; head strong, and sometimes too independent.

However he'd slowly gotten used to her, and he was about to give her a pleasant surprise. He hoped a spoonful of sugar would really make the medicin go down.

He nodded at them to sit down, and cleared his throat:

"Well, I understand we've got quite a situation here. I'll start with the Superintendent."

He paused. Under normal circumstances, he would NEVER have reprimanded a senior officer in the presence of junior ones, but he felt that Emily needed to be taken down a notch.

"I object strongly to be used as a tool in your little games, Superintendent. " His bluntness made both Emily and Barbara gasp, while Winnie was too nervous even to dare breath. The only one keeping his cool was Lynley. Emily went red, while Barbara paled into white.

"I've been observing you, and while I must admit that you've made admirable progress in whipping the administrative side of things into shape, your people management skills are lacking maturity." He paused.

Hillier had made a point with himself to be honest, and what he'd just said was the truth. Barlow had attacked the administrative mayhem that Webberly had left, and like a bulldog, she'd bitten into it and had not let go. Slowly, she'd achieved order, and Hillier was the first to admit that it had made his life easier.

However...

"I've personally overheard more than once how you make plain racist comments, and those are unacceptable.

I also realise your situation with Sergeant Havers isn't an easy one, but I do not support the intimidation route you've undertaken.

While I agree that Sergeant Nkata is too inexperienced to prep a suspect on his own, you should not have taken over the case without consulting me.

My advice, HAD you asked for it, would have been to assist him while you where waiting for Lynley and Havers. Knife crime is certainly a top priority, but letting a suspect getting away with murder is not the way to fight knife crime.

I do admit that the arrests the Knife Crime Force has made are important ones, and for that you will ALL be complimented.

I've therefore, in accordance with the Commissioner and the other Assistant Commissioners, come to a new agreement on how to run this unit over the next couple of months, while we evaluate the situation in detail.

Superintendent, you will remain in your post. However, you will be given more administrative and internal duties. This will give you some time to hone your people skills and it will also give you some time to work on certain issues you have with certain officers, and other things, which we will discuss later in private.

Lynley will be promoted to Chief Inspector, and will handle most of the direct Human Resources issues and the collaboration between departments. You'll all receive the details in writing of course.

Sergeant Nkata will be doing one of our Management courses; I'll discuss with you later, Sergeant, which route you wish to take. Your promotion was in part motivated by urgency during the serial killer case some months ago; however I'm very pleased with your progress. The management course will give you the opportunity to let your theoretical skills catch up with your practical ones.

As for you, Sergeant Havers, not only will you receive a monetary bonus at the end of the month, to compensate you for your hard work and achievements, but I'd also like to assure you that you will not be assigned any other team in the foreseeable future.

I'll meet with every single one of you weekly and evaluate your progress.

Any questions?"

The last part sounded like he did not really expect them to ask anything…..

Into the dead silence, after a couple of seconds of contemplation, Barbara's timid voice cut in:

"Sir?"

"Yes, Havers?"

Hillier saw Barbara was pale as a sheet of paper, her green eyes huge in her heart shaped face. It looked like her hair had turned a deeper colour of red, even.

"Ah, I was wondering, Sir? What about Stewart?"

Lynley shot her a warning look, and she stopped in her tracks.

How very like Barbara, Hillier thought, and smiled at her:

"Stewart has accepted a post as Acting Superintendent for the Cambridge force. We're both very pleased about this new development, but if you'd please keep it quiet until the details are finalized, thank you Sergeant!"

Hillier was very pleased with himself. He'd still have Emily to deal with, but he was confident he could control her now. Lynley and Havers where now both deep in debited to him, and Stewart was safely tucked away, ready to step in whenever Barlow screwed up beyond repair.

To his huge surprise, Emily was already on the rebound.

She stepped forward and said sweetly:

"Sir, I must thank you for this enlightening briefing. I'm always looking for ways of bettering myself. You've lauded some of my skills, for which I thank you, and pointed out some things I need to work on. Of course, constructive criticism is the best form or mentoring!

I'm sure Chief Inspector Lynley will be very helpful in the future, and we will all do our best to meet the new targets set by yourself and the MET."

She smiled and nodded at them all. Barbara just rolled her eyes at her, but was quiet. Winnie crumpled his nose, and Lynley was the one who had to extend his hand:

"Superintendent Barlow……. This little tete a tete has certainly been, ah, shall we say, enlightening. I do hope our further collaboration will be less exciting, Ma'am."

With that, they had to shake hands, although Barbara really felt like screaming.

She sighed.

One battle won, but to win the war?

At least now she was safe and sound with Lynley, and Winnie was well on his way to becoming an excellent officer. The perp had been arrested, and would certainly do some time in prison. His victims had been refered to the victim's unit.

Hillier had at least realised that she, Barbara, wasn't a total waste of time, and Emily was now under surveillance by the higherups.

She wouldn't have to face the future or Barlow alone, and for now, that was enough…..

FINIS

( for now hehehehehe)


End file.
